NORWALK, Conn., April 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Diageo North America this week continued the company's long tradition of community service by performing 700 hours of concentrated community service at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport.  Nearly 100 employees from Diageo North America's finance team put their construction and gardening skills to work at Connecticut's only zoo.  The event represented the largest volunteer group the facility has hosted this year.

"What could be better than working with great people on Earth Day and completing a green project? Thanks to our volunteer friends at Diageo, rain now will go into the ground instead of running into a storm sewer," said Gregg Dancho, Zoo Director. "Many hands helped to create a new farmyard amphitheater and complete a general farmyard makeover today. What a great example of corporate partnership."

Employees primarily focused on the zoo's New England Farmyard, where they worked to build, restore and refresh the area.  The volunteers built a new performance stage with stadium seating, installed a new roof on the rabbit hut, enhanced the goat enclosure, painted a cow statue outside the farmyard, and mulched and planted the flower beds nearby.

"At Diageo, giving back to our communities is woven into the fabric of our company, and the nearly 100 volunteers who contributed to the work at the zoo embody that core value," said Mike Mulhall, Controller, Diageo North America.  "Over the years, we have helped many worthy organizations near our Norwalk headquarters.  This year we chose to return to the zoo again because of the meaningful impact they have on our community and the environment through education, conservation, research and recreation."

This is the tenth annual community service event for Diageo's finance team, and their second time partnering with the zoo.  Two years ago Diageo sent an equally robust volunteer team to work on nearly a dozen different improvement projects, including helping to prepare for the zoo's Pampas Plains South American Adventure exhibit.  Last year this same team undertook the largest restoration event in the history of the Norwalk Land Trust's Farm Creek Nature Preserve. 

In line with Diageo's ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability, Diageo employees celebrate Earth Month with a range of events and activities across North America.  Events are focused on conservation and community, and include: New York and Norwalk employees taking on New York Cares' Forest Park project for New York Spring Cares Day; a day of Spring clean-up at Short Beach in Stratford, Connecticut, which is known for providing critical habitat for wildlife; as well as education and engagement sessions, competitions, recycling drives for batteries and E-waste, and a range of volunteering activities across Diageo's North America facilities and offices.

Diageo's commitment to community service extends across North America with hundreds of Diageo employees volunteering thousands of hours each year and contributing to numerous fundraising activities.  Local Diageo employees have provided support for Norwalk Land Trust's Farm Creek Nature Preserve, Norwalk's Open Door Shelter and New York City's Church of the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, among others.  Nationally, Diageo is known for responding swiftly in times of need and, through its Spirit of the Americas program, has completed massive relief missions to areas impacted by natural disasters including Afghanistan, Haiti, Southeast Asia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, New Orleans, Oklahoma, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Colorado and, most recently, the Philippines. Diageo proudly offers a volunteering policy that provides full time and reduced hour employees of Diageo North America one week leave each year to volunteer. 

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo has a proud history of over 80 years as Connecticut's only zoo.  It is committed to the preservation of endangered animals and is actively developing strategies that will protect species and preserve their wild habitats.  For more information on Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo visit: www.BeardsleyZoo.org.

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About Diageo  
Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, beer and wine. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Windsor, Buchanan's and Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff, Ciroc and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray, Guinness, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards Wines.

Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.

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SOURCE Diageo